Surgical bandage forming machine



Aug. 22, 1933.

INVENTOR r I r ATTORNEY Aug. 22, 1933. H. ROBINSON 1,923,117

SURGICAL BANDAGE FORMING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 HI/rz/ i e floinson V {60: ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The invention relates to a surgical bandage forming machine and more particularly to the class of plaster bandage making and rolling machine.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a machine of this character, wherein the powdered plaster material is deposited therein so that when gauze material in strip or sheet form is carried into the machine the powdered plaster will be delivered thereto for the forming or making of a surgical bandage medium, the powdered material being sifted to avoid the lumping thereof or uneven distribution in the formation or making of the bandage material, the machine in its entirety being of novel form so that it can be manually operated and the treated material forming the bandage may be rolled in any desirable length and also the width thereof can be varied at the election of the user of the machine. I Another object of the invention is the provision of a machine of this character wherein the bandage strip, which is in the form of gauze will be fed beneath a hopper containing plaster powder so that the latter on movement of the hopper will be delivered and evenly distributed onto the bandage material for the making of' bandages for surgical purposes, the machine being readily portable and is designed more especially for use in hospitals and surgeons offices or the like.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a machine of this character wherein in the formation of the plaster bandage the excess plaster powder will be trapped so as to avoid the waste thereof as such excess can be re-delivered into the machine and thus subsequently utilized in the further making of the bandage, the machine being hand operable although it may be otherwise operated and will enable the making of bandages with dispatch and of the required lengths and widths.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a machine of this character which is comparatively simple in construction, automatic in its working, thoroughly reliable and efficient in its purpose, readily portable, durable and inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the .preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended,

In the accompanying drawings:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine of the indicated kind constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a detail fragmentary sectional view showing the operating handle in full lines in operative position and in dotted lines in released position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

' Referring to the drawings in detail, the machine comprises a box-like body 10 of the required shape and size having side walls 11, bottom 12 and end walls 13 and 14 respectively, while the upper portion or top of said body 10 is open. Arranged transversely of the body 10 and projecting from the end wall 13 and at a point removed from the end wall 14 is a slightly inclined shelf 15 while intermediate the latter is a vertically slidable gate 16 arranged for sliding movement between guide pieces 17 fixed to opposite sides 11 of the body 10. Adapted to be trained beneath the bottom edge of the gate 16 is a bandaging strip 18 which may be of any desirable length and of any required width, preferably gauze and is adapted to be wound upon a roll 19 carried by a shaft 20, the roll being fast upon said shaft which latter at one end is formed with an operating crank or handle 21. The strip 18 is guided through the body 10 beneath the gate 16 between guide rollers 22 and 23 respectively, these being disposed at opposite edges of said strip and have their spindles 24 selectively engageable in sockets 25 and 26 respectively, the latter being formed in the end wall I4-and open through its upper edge, while the sockets 25 are formed in the shelf 15, these sockets being spaced apart an equidistance from each other according to the required width of the bandaging strip 18 fed into the machine. The strip 18 is adapted to be wound onto the roll 19 and may be engaged for this purpose in any desirable manner.

Carried by the side walls 11 of the body 10 next to the end wall 14 is a hopper supporting cradle 27 which at opposite ends is provided with upstanding bearings 28 in which are pivoted the ends of substantially V-shaped rocking hangers 29 carrying a reciprocatory hopper 30.

The hopper 30 is open at the top and is formed with a sifter bottom including an upper fine mesh covering 31 and a lower wide mesh covering 32. Into this hopper is adapted to be introduced plaster powder so that on reciprocation of the hopper 30 the latter will be screened through its bottom and delivered onto the strip 18 when fed into the body 10 of the machine for the formation of plaster bandaging material or medium.

By reason of the location of the hopper 30 on the body 10 and the extent of the shelf 15 it will be apparent that excessive plaster powder delivered from the hopper will be discharged beneath the shelf through an opening 33 in the bottom 12 into a catcher cell 34 depending from said bottom 10 and having a pivoted bottom door '35, the latter being manually opened for the recovery of the powder caught as before explained.

The side walls 15 of the body 10 are fitted with sleeve-like bearings 36 in which is journaled the roll 19. One of the bearings 36 at one side of the body is extended and forms a journal for a pulley 37, the latter carrying an abutment lug or pin 38 with which the crank or handle 21 is designed to engage when turned in one direction so as to impart rotation to the pulley 3'7 in the operation of the machine. Suitably journaled and laterally spaced from the pulley 37 is another pulley 38', these pulleys .being embraced by a crossed endless belt 39 so that motion from one will be imparted to the other and the pulley 38' will be driven reversely to the pulley 37. Mounted on the body 10 and projecting upwardly therefrom is a post 40 carrying an adjustable bracket 41 having the spindle 42 on which is journaled a pulley 43. The pulley 43 has trained thereover the endless belt 44, the same being also trained over the pulley 38 so that motion from the latter will be imparted to said pulley 43. This pulley 43 has eccentrically pivoted thereto a pitman or link 45 pivoted at 46 to a connection 47 on one end of the hopper 30 so that the latter will be vibrated on rotation of the pulley 43 as will be obvious and in this manner the plaster powder contained within said hopper will be delivered therefrom through the screening bottom of the same for distribution downwardly onto the strip 18. This motion imparted to the hopper 30 is transmitted through the pulleys and belt hereinbefore referred to on manual turning of the crank or handle 21 in one direction as the latter when properly set with relation to the pulley 37 will engage the lug or pin 38 thereon, the engaging position being illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The gate 16 when lowered in the direction of the shelf 15 with the strip 18 trained beneath said gate will pocket the material during the rolling operation of the same and also will prevent the plaster powder when distributed from working toward the end portion of the body 10 where the rolled material is located and also this gate 16 serves as a scraper to limit the thickness of the powder accumulated on the strip during the rolling thereof and in the formation of the plaster bandaging medium.

To release the rolled bandaging medium after the formation thereof from the roll 36 it is necessary to pull laterally upon the crank or handle 21 to move it with the roll from the full line position indicated in Figure 4 to the dotted line window or open portion 48 above the end wall position therein and in the direction of the arrow identified therewith in said Figure 4 of the drawings.

The strip 18 is initially introduced through a 14 and between the side walls 11 as is shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. Hinged to the side walls 11 of the body 10 to be swung into vertical alignment with the end wall 13 is a vertically movable door or shutter 49. This shutter when raised to the position shown by dotted lines inFigure 1 from the closed position shown by full lines in said figure and also in Figure 3 of the drawings, access may be had to the body 10 at that portion of the same localized to the position of the roll 19 and in this manner the strip 18 at the end next to the roll can be properly engaged thereon by hand manipulation or otherwise so that said strip will be rolled smoothly and evenly in the feeding of the strip into the machine for the coating thereof with plaster powder automatically delivered thereto from the hopper 30 on the operation of the machine for the formation of a surgical bandaging medium or what is commonly known as a plaster bandage.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a box-like body, a slightly inclined shelf transversely arranged within the body, a vertically slidable gate arranged above said shelf and movable toward and away from the same, a hopper elevated above the body at one side of the gate and having a screening bottom, rocking hangers carrying said hopper, a roll of bandaging strip supported within the body and movable beneath the gate and the said hopper, means on the shelf and body for guiding saidstrip in a straight path when traveling beneath the gate and hopper, and means for imparting motion to the hopper.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a box-like body, a slightly inclined shelf transversely arranged within the body, a vertically slidable gate arranged above said shelf and movable toward and away from the same, a hopper elevated above the body at one side of the gate and having a screening bottom, rocking hangers carrying said hopper, a roll of bandaging strip supported within the body and movable beneath the gate and the said hopper, guide rollers having spindles adjustably engageable in the shelf and body to guide the strip beneath the gate and hopper, and means for effecting the rolling of the strip and also actuating the hopper for the shaking of the latter.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a box-like body, a slightly inclined shelf transversely arranged within the body, a vertically slidable gate arranged above said shelf and movable toward and away from the same, a hopper elevated above the body at one side of the gate and having a screening bottom, rocking hangers carrying said hopper, a roll of bandaging strip supported within the body and movable beneath the gate and the said hopper, guide rollers having spindles adjustably engageable in the shelf and body to guide the strip beneath the gate and hopper, means for effecting the rolling of the strip and also actuating the hopper for the shaking of the latter, and a waste catcher depending from the body and accessible from without the latter.

HARVIE ROBINSON. 

